//------------------------------// // The First Ticket // Story: Making the Sun Shine // by The Fiery Joker //------------------------------// Daily life for the Pie family and the rest of the world changed that day. The day Candy Mane decided to let six lucky foals into his legendary factory, all of Equestria was set ablaze with activity (and one unfortunate candy shop quite literally). Newspapers worked overtime for any shred of news concerning the prized tickets, but the only events they could report on were how ponies reacted to the ticket news. A pony couldn’t set one hoof outside in Stalliongrad without being engulfed by a monstrous crowd of ponies, pushing and shoving their way to get to the nearest candy store. The city was seeing more activity from the locals in those few weeks than it had in years. “Hey, watch it!” “S-sorry!” Sunny Smile looked away from the pony she had almost bumped into, quickly facing the crowd so she could avoid the next pony. With the streets as crowded as they were now, even trying to get back home was like walking in a blizzard. She pushed onward, weaving between and under as many ponies as she could. It got especially bad near the candy stores, where foals and adults alike clawed their way into the doors. She caught a break when she managed to push out of the flood of ponies. The torrent of bodies was less intense now that she was near the outskirts, and without the presence of other ponies crowding her, she could now see her house in the distance. Sunny made a made a mad dash for her home, running along the dirt path. Her eyes fixated upon the front door, blocking everything else out. Including a small dip in the dirt which she happened to place her hoof on incorrectly. She tripped and her snout sunk into a deep patch of snow, the freezing slush biting at her nose. Her scarf and coat became increasingly soaked. “Sunny!” She heard a voice calling out. She squinted above her and her mother came into sharp focus. Pinkie scooped Sunny off the freezing ground and placed her back on her hooves. “Wow, that looked like a doozy!” Pinkie exclaimed, scanning Sunny’s face. “How’s your poor nosey? Does it hurt too bad? You want me put some ice on it?” “...I fell into snow,” Sunny replied. “What’s your point?” Pinkie asked, tilting her head. Sunny opened her mouth to respond, then decided to just forget it. “It’s mom. Don’t question it,” she reasoned. “You’ll catch flies Sunny, what do I keep telling you?” Pinkie said with a grin, putting a hoof under Sunny’s chin. “Now come inside and get your homework done. Cabbage soup will be ready in about twenty minutes.” “Can’t wait!” Sunny grinned. That was more than enough time to finish her homework, and Celestia knows she was STARVING. The two of them trotted merrily back up to the house and entered. The house welcomed them with its warm air, with Grandpa Clyde waving as the two ponies entered. Pinkie went towards the kitchen, while Sunny placed her saddlebags down and sat at the table. She undid the straps on her bag and pulled out a small note pad and pencil. She laid her homework out on the table– –And jumped as the door banged open. “Hey, turn on the television!” Merry Way said in the doorway. “Somepony found the first golden ticket! Hurry!” All heads in the room looked toward him. Sunny Smile looked up from her homework. Grandpa Clyde glared from his bed with a raised eyebrow. Pinkie stood in the kitchen, trying to hide her chuckles behind her cabbage-coated cooking knife. "...Okay, I got it." Merry sighed, sheepishly walking over to the wind-up television and cranking it. The television screen blinked and crackled to life, the sounds of static and muffled voices reverberating throughout the room. “–has been found in the small town of Ponyville. Credit for the find goes to a small colt named “Jupiter Apple.”” The screen then shifted, the noir palette showcasing a crowd of ponies surrounding a trio, one of them being the notorious reporter that went by the name of Ice Scoop, her magic levitating her microphone in front of her. The camera centered on a large, scratch that, obese colt. Great flabby folds of fat bulged out from every part of his body. It was a wonder he was able to walk with the short, stubby legs sticking out from the amorphous mass. His face was like a monstrous pumpkin with two small eyes peering out upon the world, just waiting to feast. “Jupiter Apple, tell us how you found the golden ticket!” Ice Scoop shouted in a thick Manehatten accent, moving the mic very close to a rather stout colt. “Uhhhh…. I dunno...” the pudgy pony replied, mouth full and covered in chocolate. He reacher over to a side table and grabbed another chocolate bar. He began to unwrap it as he continued, “I jus’ ate whole buncha lotta chocolate and there it was.” “Ah believe ah can answer that,” a voice said. The camera panned upward to a freckled, well-built mare standing behind him. However, due to the monochrome screen, it was impossible to detect her colors. “L’il Jupiter here spends all of his allowance money on chocolate,” the mare said, looking down at the colt. “But he don’t jus’ eat them, oh no. He actually judges them. You should see summa the stuff he writes, hoo boy. Half the stuff he talks about I never woulda even noticed when eatin’ chocolate. I reckon he’s gonna be a right great candymaker one day.” The mare then reached behind her and pulled out a stetson. She placed it on her head and said, “My boy’s made his mama so proud. He’s made all of Sweet Apple Acres proud.” “Applejack???” Pinkie cried, leaning forward, her eyes widening to the size of side plates. “That’s Applejack’s kid?” “This young’un’s got quite the hearty appetite fer sweets and the like,” Applejack continued, ruffling the little colt’s mane. “He reminds me of a certain pink rock farmer that Ah’m good friends with and consider an honorary family member.” “Awwww…” Pinkie swooned. “Make sure y’all buy some apples from Sweet Apple Acres!” Applejack called out to the crowd, who proceeded to cheer and throw various items in the air. The television transitioned to a commercial, though it cut off to pitch black before it could dig its slimy, bandwagon hooks into them. “Perfect timing” “Wow…” Pinkie cooed, staring off into space. “Never thought Applejack would raise a kid so… so…” “Fat? Repulsive?” Grandpa Clyde suggested, raising an eyebrow. “A complete porker who wouldn’t know a hard day’s work if it bit ‘im in the flank?” “That doesn’t make sense. Applejack is very serious serious-pants, especially when it comes to her family and farm. Why would she let her child get like that?” “Slow metabolism?” Merry Way suggested. “Then why does she feed him chocolate, genius?” Clyde sniped. Merry Way gave him a short glare but he knew he was beaten. He sighed and looked at the now dormant television. What struck him as strange was the amount of ponies that turned up at Sweet Apple Acres, and the odd accent of the reporter. You didn’t have to be a detective to figure out there were more there than just Ponyvillilians. “I worry for Equestria...” he said to himself, shaking his head. “Now that they’ve found one, things will really get insane.” “Oh, come on sweetie,” Pinkie giggled, waving a hoof of dismissal. “How bad could it be?” A siren blared outside. “...that could be anything.